Windows 8 Devices Get Cheap

If anything has encouraged Windows 8 device sales, it's been lower prices. So Microsoft and its partners might be about to sell a lot of new PCs and tablets: Microsoft is slashing the cost of Windows 8.1 licenses for OEMs by 70%, according to a Bloomberg report published Friday evening. Citing people familiar with the company's plans, the article states manufacturers will pay only $15 to license the OS -- but only for devices that will retail for less than $250. The program reportedly aims to combat Chromebooks, which have eaten into Windows sales at the low end of the market.

In response to an inquiry about the report, a Microsoft spokesperson told InformationWeek, "We have nothing to share."

Microsoft announced strong quarterly results in January. As has been the case for much of the last year, however, Windows figures were tinged with troubling signs, including a 3% year-over-year revenue drop. That mark was good enough to beat 2013's historic 10% decline in PC shipments but it was also inflated by a 12% boost in revenue from the professional-oriented Windows OEM Pro -- and masked how much the consumer PC market has unraveled.

Chromebooks now come in a variety of form factors, such as LG's Chromebase, an all-in-one desktop.

Also noteworthy: Whereas Microsoft allegedly cut license costs last year to promote tablet growth, the new program reportedly applies to any device under $250 -- including PCs and laptops without touchscreens.

As such, the reduced license fees tie neatly into recent reports that Microsoft wants to re-engage its longtime PC users, many of whom grew disenchanted with Windows 8's more radical UI departures from previous versions. Microsoft's efforts are expected to include an update to Windows 8.1 that could arrive by April and make the touch-oriented OS more palatable to mouse-and-keyboard users.

With various leaked builds circulating online, the update appears imminent. It includes more refined integration between the Modern and desktop interfaces, including Live Tiles that respond better to mouse commands, and the ability to pin Windows Store apps to the desktop's taskbar. The update will also allegedly recognize the type of hardware on which it is installed and adjust accordingly; it is expected to boot to the desktop by default on non-touch hardware, for example, and to continue booting to the Modern UI on touch-equipped devices.

Forrester analyst David Johnson told us last week that the update sounds promising. "They have two operating regimes," he said, "and they are learning that it's not a good strategy to sacrifice one to make the other better."

Still, the upcoming update is not expected to reintegrate Windows 7's Start Menu, the absence of which has upset some users. According to various reports, the Start Menu, as well as the ability to run Modern apps in windows on the desktop, will debut in Windows 9 in 2015.

Will users wait until 2015 for a feature that's been in other Windows versions for years? Johnson said Microsoft might be moving slowly and deliberately in order to avoid the perception it has made a mistake. "If they try to move too quickly, it could undermine confidence in the Modern UI, which they need to be committed to," he said.

Engage with Oracle president Mark Hurd, NFL CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle, General Motors CIO Randy Mott, Box founder Aaron Levie, UPMC CIO Dan Drawbaugh, GE Power CIO Jim Fowler, and other leaders of the Digital Business movement at the InformationWeek Conference and Elite 100 Awards Ceremony, to be held in conjunction with Interop in Las Vegas, March 31 to April 1, 2014. See the full agenda here.

Michael Endler joined InformationWeek as an associate editor in 2012. He previously worked in talent representation in the entertainment industry, as a freelance copywriter and photojournalist, and as a teacher. Michael earned a BA in English from Stanford University in 2005 ... View Full Bio

We welcome your comments on this topic on our social media channels, or [contact us directly] with questions about the site.

Don't forget malware. Sadly, it's still a huge problem for the Windows space. Even with all of the code signing and confirmation prompts, one wrong download and you'll have a spyware/adware problem requiring the the device to be wiped and reloaded.

Even with nearly 30 years of IT experience under my belt, it's often difficult for me to determine which "download" button I should click to get the software I want. Most links lead to "download managers" or browser "toolbars" that are infested with malware, that don't uninstall themselves and even when you find something that will remove them, are you ever really sure?

I would be very interested in that kind of laptop for my middle school students. But part of the story here also is Office. My kids prefer Office apps, but they don't have it on their laptop because of the cost, and they also use Google Apps because they're so easy to share. They don't love Google Apps, but they're getting very used to them.

Chromebooks don't generally offer the nicest hardware experience, but they've become popular because they balance functionality and cost. Microsoft didn't confirm this licensing deal at Mobile World Congress, but it forecast its intention to pursue cheaper price points. Would a $200 or $250 non-touch Windows 8.1 laptop that boots to the desktop be equally attractive? As Microsoft likes to point out, Windows can do more than Chrome. If Windows beat Chrome on functionality, matches Chrome on price, and is close on user-friendliness, shouldn't the scales tip more fully in Microsoft's favor?

And what about the cheap tablets that Microsoft promised at MWC? In my experience, low-cost tablets become pretty unsatisfying if OEMs skimp too much on components.

I think the fact that most comments here are of the "crap" or "not crap" variety demonstrates how polarizing Windows 8 is.

The divisiveness surprises me a little, to be honest. Sure, it made sense at first, but I expected it to diminish after Windows 8.1-- not because 8.1 is amazing or anything, but because it made the OS functional enough for two distinct groups of users. As anyone who's read my editorials about 2-in-1 devices knows, I think Microsoft's convergence play will cater to niches for the immediate future-- so I'm not surprised that Windows tablet sales are still a bit soft. But I am surprised that desktop users have been so unimpressed by Windows 8.1.

When Windows 8 initially launched, I thought it offered an okay tablet UI that, thanks to Microsoft's strong arm tactics, significantly detracted from the desktop. When Windows 8.1 arrived, I thought it would silence some of this discontent. No, there's still not a Start Menu, but in less than five minutes, you can enable boot-to-desktop, disable hot corners, and otherwise banish most signs of the Modern UI and its touch controls. In essence, you can turn Windows 8.1 into a faster, more stable version of Windows 7 (minus the Start Menu). Even so, less than 40% of combined Windows 8/8.1 users are running the update (according to Net Applications), which doesn't suggest desktop users are rushing to upgrade.

As for the upcoming update to Win 8.1-- sounds pretty reasonable to me. It makes the OS friendlier to people with non-touch devices but doesn't retreat from the Modern UI on touch hardware-- not a bad way to go, considering the position in which Microsoft found itself heading into the update's development.

But Windows 8.1 hasn't caused much of a stir-- so will this update achieve more? In some ways, 2015's rumored Windows 9 sounds a lot like what Windows 8 should have been originally. But will this spring's update be enough to sustain things in the meantime? With Windows XP losing support just as this Windows 8.1 update (and allegedly cheaper devices) are set to debut, maybe Microsoft's new OS can finally make more than an incremental market share gain.

My plan also. I am using a Windows 8 phone (Nokia Lumia 928) now, and love it. The integration with the phone, desktop, laptop, and soon an 8-9"Windows tablet is so efficient. Saying goodby to Android phone and tablet. Recently retired XP and Vista PC's, both of which were still running perfectly, but lacked 8.1 features I use.

Wow, show your ignorance with a post like yours Gary_EL. XP is obsolete, dead, not supportable due to security concerns. Wake up and get off of XP now if you are connected to the Internet. Sorry that you didn't make the party, but many of us did and love 8.1 on the desktop or laptop, with a KB and mouse. You do not need touch, and can ignore tthe tiles if you want and just boot to desktop. Microsoft has not given up, quite the opposite.

Transformation is on every IT organization's to-do list, but effectively transforming IT means a major shift in technology as well as business models and culture. In this IT Trend Report, we examine some of the misconceptions of digital transformation and look at steps you can take to succeed technically and culturally.